5 Things to Know Before Cleansing With Black Sage
Black Sage is a common cleansing agent in any Magick practice. Here’s what you should know about it.
NUMBER 1: What is Black Sage?
Black Sage goes by a few other names: mugwort and, its scientific name, Salvia mellifera. It generally grows in southern California and, in some spots, in northern areas of the state. It hybridizes easily, so it may get lost among other species of sage that grows in the area.
It is easy to grow in a home garden. It is also easy to dry into smudge sticks. If you lack the green thumb like I do, I have some for sale in my Bonanza store.
I’m no horticulturalist, so I cannot really speak to the specifics of Black Sage’s physiology. If you would like to read more about that side of things, here is the Wikipedia link for Black Sage. But, who needs all that sciencey-stuff, anyway? Let’s get to how Witches and spiritualists use Black Sage.
NUMBER 2: Cleansing Spaces With A Black Sage Smudge Stick
This is the most common use of Black Sage. I prefer using smudge sticks when I cleanse an area, but you can use loose sage to accomplish the same task.
With a smudge stick, light the end of it with a match or lighter. Let it smolder. Do not light the entire stick. I can’t tell you how many messages I have gotten where people burn themselves while smudging. Light one end and let it smoke. You may walk around the room you are in, or your entire home.
Wait until the smoke starts rising straight up. It may be beneficial to you to turn off any heat or air vents in the room when performing this step. Once the smoke starts rising straight with little to no variation, you can begin ending the cleansing.
To snuff your smudge stick, use a metal herb grinder or twist it on a concrete surface outside. Do not try to blow it out. That may send cinders and ash all over your clean home. Make sure it is completely absent of embers before putting it up for storage.
NUMBER 3: Cleansing Spaces With Loose Black Sage
This is basically the same as the process above, except now you will be doing this with a bowl. I prefer a small metal bowl when I use loose sage. So, place your Black Sage into the bowl and drop a match in there. It should start smoking once the flame makes contact with the dried plant pieces.
You may walk around with the bowl in your hand or leave the bowl on your altar. That is up to you.
Like before, the smoke will eventually stabilize and go straight up. This is how you know your cleansing is complete. With loose sage, you can stamp it out with a small stone or drop gravel or pebbles on top of it. I like the gravel method because it ensures that the embers will eventually be snuffed.
Again, do not try to blow it out! This is even more dangerous than trying to blow out a smudge stick. If you blow on it, the particles will shoot into the air and maybe catch your house on fire. Don’t do that.
NUMBER 4: Lucid Dreaming and Vision Creation
This is a by-product of Black Sage that many do not know about.
People tell me all the time after they buy Black Sage from me that their dreams become VERY vivid after they cleanse their space. This is because Black Sage stimulates the pineal gland, which controls out of body experiences. The pineal gland is sometimes referred to as the Third Eye.
When people have no experience with Third Eye opening and activation, it can be quite frightening. I try to let everyone know this once they cleanse their spiritual space.
You do not have to do anything special to achieve this. It will happen automatically after the cleansing. It is just a little side-effect that I think is very beneficial.
NUMBER 5: How Often Should You Use Black Sage?
This is the most common question I get about Black Sage. By far.
‘Use it as often as you feel it is necessary’ is always my answer. If at any time the energy in your home feels disharmonious, do a cleansing. If at any time the energy inside yourself feels off, do a cleansing. If at any time you walk into a room and feel negativity, do a cleansing.
Even if you are wrong about it, it will not hurt.
I know some of you want a time-specific answer. I don’t mind giving one. I, personally, do cleansings before I perform ANY spell or ritual. But, most the spellwork that I do is for others, so I want to ensure I am working with a blank slate of energy every single time. So, I go through about two smudge sticks a day.
For you, you can probably get away with one to two cleansings a month, depending on the kind of Magick you are doing. If you are generally performing Luck Spells or Lunar Rituals, then you shouldn’t need to cleanse your energy or your space much.
On the other side of things, if you are doing Revenge Magick on a regular basis, go ahead and bump that cleansing up to once a week. Just for safety.
Love + Blessings
Laci
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